Patricia Ann (née Lesser) Harbottle's Obituary
Patricia Ann (née Lesser) Harbottle
August 13, 1933 – July 30, 2025
Patricia Ann (née Lesser) Harbottle, better known as Pat or Patsy, born to parents Louis and Marguerite Lesser in Fort Totten, NY on August 13, 1933, passed away peacefully on July 30, 2025, in Tacoma, WA. She was 91 years old.
Pat found her love of golf through her father. She was a natural at the game and broke 80 in her first year at age 13. At age 14, she won the 1948 Seattle Women’s Championship, successfully defending her title the following year.
In 1951, as a freshman, Pat began her time at Seattle University. At the time, the university only had a men’s golf team. Due to her extreme talent in the sport, she made the team, playing all four years, often at the number one spot. In an early practice she was paired with her future husband John Harbottle, a junior at the time. A year after her graduation, at the time she could have joined the LPGA Tour, Pat and John were married. She was quoted years later saying “I never considered turning pro. I always wanted to get married and have children”.
Pat gained an overwhelming number of accomplishments in her golf career which lasted over the course of 8 decades. To better understand her many accolades, they are listed below:
· 1948 - won Seattle Women’s Championship
· 1949 – won Seattle Women’s Championship
· 1950 – won U.S. Women’s Junior Championship in Buffalo. New York
· 1951 – tied for 4th place in the U.S. Women’s Open in Atlanta. Georgia. Her score of 300 over four rounds was a record for an amateur in the event.
· 1952 – won PNGA Women’s Amateur
· 1953 – won PNGA Women’s Amateur
· 1953 – won the Women’s National Intercollegiate Golf Tournament
· 1953 – tied for 6th in U.S. Women’s Open in Rochester, New York
· 1954 – tied for 7th in U.S. Women’s Open in Peabody, Massachusetts
· 1954 – tied for 11th in the Titleholders Championship in Augusta, Georgia
· 1954 – won for the U.S. in the Curtis Cup in Ardmore, Pennsylvania
· 1955 – tied for 8th in U.S. Women’s Open in Wichita, Kansas
· 1955 – tied for 7th in the Titleholders Championship in Augusta, Georgia
· 1955 – won Western Women’s Amateur in Olympia Fields, Illinois
· 1955 - won U.S. Women’s Amateur in Charlotte North Carolina
· 1956 – runner up Western Women’s Amateur in Huntington, West Virginia
· 1956 – played for the U.S. in the Curtis Cup in Sandwich, Kent, England
· 1965 – won PNGA Women’s Amateur
· 1974 – won the Washington State Women’s Amateur in Tacoma, Washington
· 2014 – Seattle University began hosting the Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club
· 23 different club championships at Tacoma Country and Golf Club including her last title in 2016 at the age of 83, where her husband John served as her caddie. With this last win, she claimed a club championship title in eight consecutive decades.
Pat finished an interview after winning the Western Women’s Amateur in 1955 and went to call her father. He told her he was already aware of her win as a reporter had called him for comment. A few weeks later, after winning the National Amateur, Pat refused to answer questions until she made one phone call. She called her father and said “I won, Dad”. The phone was silent until her mother’s voice said “He’s crying”.
Whenever asked what her proudest accomplishment was, she would immediately answer “My family”. Pat made every holiday a celebration, filling her home with love and laughter. When out of town children visited, she went out of her way to gather the family. Her deep love for family was felt by everyone - from the oldest to the youngest.
Along with her love for family and golf, Pat enjoyed gardening. She grew different varieties of tomatoes and green beans which she loved to share with family and friends. Her homemade flower baskets were always overflowing with color.
Pat was loved by all who knew her. From the moment you met her, it was clear how special she was. She was very humble, but could light up a room. She was a very loving, caring person, who will be missed dearly, by her family and friends.
She is predeceased in death by her parents Louis and Marguerite Lesser, sister Peggy Sears, and son John Harbottle III, a renowned golf course designer.
She is survived by her husband, John; children Mary (Ben) Blankenship, Sue (George) Barrington, Jerry (Vicki) Harbottle, Rob (Karianne) Harbottle; daughter in law Teresa Harbottle; grandchildren Heather, Maren, Meghan, Anna, Brendan, Johnny, Chelsea, Sean, Josie, Nick, Jack, Grace, Will, and Abby; great grandchildren Samantha, Huntress, Vanessa, Gideon, Aurora, Remi, Miles, Rory, and Ella Rae.
If you wish to make a donation in memory of Pat, please visit First Tee - South Puget Sound. All notes and cards associated with the donation will be shared with the family.
Church services will be held on Thursday September 4, 2025, at 11am at St Frances Cabrini Parish (5715 108th St SW, Lakewood, WA 98499) with a gathering of friends and family at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club to follow (13204 Country Club Dr SW, Lakewood, WA 98498)
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